Linden Hardscrabble Virginia Red Blend 2006

Linden Hardscrabble Virginia Red Blend 2006

We discovered and acquired this wine during our visit to the Linden vineyards and winery estate in Linden, Fauquier County, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia back in 2010. There we met and tasted with founder, proprietor and then winemaker Jim Law. 

The town of Linden is sixty miles west of Washington DC, located in the Middleburg Wine AVA, in the Northern Virginia wine growing region, of Virginia's nine wine regions and six AVAs. The Middleburg AVA is bounded by the Potomac River to the North and follows the eastern slope of the mountains south to the town of Linden. 

Linden produces a broad portfolio of wines including this label, Hardscrabble, a Bordeaux varietal blend. The name Hardscrabble refers to the rough rocky well drained soil there that combined with mountainous elevation above 1300 feet, provides an suitable terroir for serious wines. 

Linden Vineyards was a long-abandoned apple orchard when Jim Law and his family purchased the 76 acres in 1983, after several years of looking for vineyard land with high elevations and east facing slopes. After clearing trees, they planted the first eight acres in 1985. The original vines were mostly grafted and propagated in-house from budwood obtained from the few local vineyards in the surrounding area. 

Their first planting consisted of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Vidal, and Seyval. They built a winery building that was finished in time for the harvest of 1987, Linden’s first commercial vintage.

Of the numerous wineries we visited during our Virginia wine country tour, Linden was the only producer from whom we purchased wines to ship home, of which this is one of the last remaining bottles from that collection. Linden wines exceeded my expectations at that time, surpassing the other producers' labels we tried. 

A decade later, at fourteen years, this wine once again exceeded my expectations and rose to the occasion for enjoyable drinking, a worthy accompaniment to our left over roast beef, potatoes and vegetable dinner.

Linden wines have a distinct style. They are concentrated, mineral, and refreshing rather than fruit driven. They often require significant aging to reach their full potential. Our wines are best enjoyed as a complement to a meal.

 Since Linden’s first vintage in 1987, the focus has been in the vineyards. They have three distinct sites, each one with an evolving personality. They nurture the vines and craft their wines to best express the character of each vineyard site. Winemaker Jim Law says the wines from Hardscrabble Vineyard are 'cerebral and complex', while their Avenius Vineyard produces wines that are edgy and energetic, and their Boisseau Vineyard produces hedonistic and lush wines.

 The 2006 reds are very Bordeaux in acidity and structure, which should make them candidates for long term aging.

This is sourced from the Hardscrabble Vineyard (100%), Fauquier Co. on top of the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Deep, well drained rocky, mineral soils give depth, structure and length. The Vine ages were from 3 to 21 years. The twenty acre Hardscrabble vineyard surrounds the winery building and includes some of the original vines planted in 1985.

The 2006 vintage was a good year. Jim wrote, "I would have to characterize the vintage as “classic” in that the growing season was about as close to typical as is possible. There were substantial swings in temperature and rainfall during the summer, but in fact, this is normal for Virginia. The red grapes ripened fully with good balance."

Linden Hardscrabble Virginia Red Blend 2006

This release is a complex and sophisticated classic Bordeaux  blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 11% Petit Verdot. 

Tonight this was tasting amazingly like the earlier tasting at the winery a decade ago .... Dark purple color - medium bodied - smooth, polished, nice balance of complex medley of flavors. Dark berry fruit, hint of currant, bramble, spice, herbs and slight earthiness - subtle tones of soft oak and dark chocolate on the moderate tannin finish.

RM 89 points. 

http://cellartracker.com/w?567768

https://www.lindenvineyards.com/ 

 

Linden Virginia Claret Red Wine 2004

Linden Vineyards Fauquier County, Blue Ridge Mountains,Virginia Claret Red Wine 2004

We tasted and purchased this Claret Bordeaux style blend bottle at the winery back in the summer of 2010 during our Virginia Wine Country Tour 2010. Winemaker and proprietor Jim Law (left) and his Linden portfolio were by far the best in class producer of Bordeaux varietals we found from Virginia, most notably 'Hardscrabble', their flagship single vineyard designated Bordeaux blend label. We also tasted, liked and purchased their Late Harvest Vidal dessert wine.

The term 'Claret' dates back to the 1700's in England, and the colloquial reference to red wines from the Bordeaux region of France. Britons were large consumers of Bordeaux wines, although during the times they were at war with France, they switched to and popularized Port, hardy fortified red wines from Portugal.

Today, Claret refers to red wines blended in the Bordeaux style from the classic Bordeaux varietals - primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Another trademarked term (subject to license from the Meritage Alliance) for these wines from the new world is Meritage, as written in this blog on subject.

The connection between Virginia and Bordeaux Claret dates back to colonial times when Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson discovered Bordeaux wine while living in France negotiating support for the American Revolution. Jefferson lived in Paris from August 1784 to September 1789 and traveled extensively through the wine regions of France and northern Italy. He brought back to his Virginia estate Monticello not only French wines but also vines to propagate French varietals in the new world. He spent the rest of his years trying to develop those vines and wines in Virginia.

Linden Vineyards, named for the town of Linden, sitting just 65 miles west of Washington, D.C., produced their first vintage in 1987 and their first release and opening of the winery was in 1988. Law has been honing his craft, working the vines and producing wine in the Virginia Shenandoah Valley since 1981. He purchased the abandoned hardscrabble farm in 1983.

Linden grow their Bordeaux varietals on their eighteen acre premier estate Hardscrabble Vineyard (shown left), and a couple nearby vineyards sitting high up the Blue Ridge Mountains at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. The vines are from 5 to 25 years of age.

Another vineyard sits high on a bluff above the town of Front Royal in the Shenandoah Valley at an elevation of 600 feet, facing west on light, deep, well drained loam soils, planted in 2000.

This Claret is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (48%), Petit Verdot (35%), Merlot (13%), and Cabernet Franc (4%) in the classic Bordeaux style.

We still hold several Linden labels from that trip and based on this bottle, its time to try them, although I expect the Hardscrabble Bordeaux Blend and the Late Harvest Vidal to have longer lives than this label.

At eleven years of age, this is clearly past its prime and nearing the last chapter of its drinking window, but still holding enough to be casual easy drinking with some hearty cheese, dark chocolate and grilled beef. Our first and most recent tasting of this wine from our cellar was in 2008 at which time we gave it 88 points. See Linden Virginia Claret 2004 - April 4, 2008.

Dark blackish garnet colored with an ever so slight tinge of brown setting in, medium bodied, somewhat lean and austere, black berry and black cherry fruit aromatics predominate with tangy fruit flavors giving way to a layer of cedar, black liquor, black creosote/tar tones, and ripe raisin from the diminution of the fruits, with a tangy spicy cherry on the lingering tannin finish.

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=446266

http://www.lindenvineyards.com/linden/

Viader Napa Valley Proprietary Red

Viader Napa Valley Proprietary Red Highlights Grilled Filet Steak Dinner

When #1 son Ryan invited us over for a gourmet dinner if I'd bring the wine, the deal was done. The menu selection was endive and radish salad in lemon dill dressing, scallops in a beet and parsnip purée with crispy bacon, filets of beef with balsamic and rosemary, potato and carrot mash, finishing with bananas foster.

I pulled from the cellar the following wine flight to accompany the dinner courses: Robert Craig Durell Vineyard Sonoma Valley Chardonnay 2005, Viader Proprietary Red Wine 1996, Chateau La Rose Lussac-St Emilion Bordeaux 1982, and to finish, Linden Cellars Late Harvest Vidal 2005.

Robert Craig Durell Vineyard Sonoma Valley Chardonnay 2005

We tasted and obtained this wine at one of several visits over the last decade at the winery up on Howell Mountain during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2008, and later acquired an additional case at auction. 

Producers notes -  "Hand-crafted in very small quantities, this Chardonnay has the qualities of a fine white Burgundy in its balance and deep fruit, mineral character and clean, crisp acidity that are hallmarks of the Durell Vineyard and of this great old world-leaning estate."

Light butter colored, crisp, medium to full bodied but nicely balanced pear and tropical fruits, almond and mineral with finely balanced acidity on a long finish.  

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=294150

http://www.robertcraigwine.com

Viader Napa Valley Proprietary Red 1996

We met proprietor winemaker Delia Viader at a tasting hosted by Binny's Chicago Lakeview back in 2005, and visited the property on lower Howell Mountain in 2008. Our collection of Viader dates back to the 1990 vintage so it was with interest to see how this vintage has held  up over the years to calibrate the lifespan of the other vintages. In the style of many Viader releases, this is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Cabernet Franc.

While sited on Howell Mountain, since Viader sits below 1200 feet elevation, their wines carry the Napa Valley rather than Howell Mountain Appellation. This is because the fog rise up to but sits below that level and thereby affects the micro-climate and growing conditions of the grapes - characteristics that help make up what is known as terroir.

Dark blackish garnet colored with a slight rust edge on the rim, medium to full bodied, while it certainly is beyond gaining advantage from further aging, it seems to be holding at eighteen years but is entering the last stage of its prime drinking window. Deep complex, tight yet balanced , the restrained black fruits are overshadowed a layer of tar, leather and tobacco flavors with tar/tobacco underpinning and hints of smoky spice and lead pencil finishing with firm, tongue-coating tannins.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=8493


Chateau La Rose Lussac-St Emilion Bordeaux 1982

To commemorate our father-son wine tasting dinner, I pulled from the cellar this aged vintage release Bordeaux from Ryan's birthyear - a remnant of our horizontal collection of his birthyear wines. Being a lesser producer, despite this classic vintage, this was a gamble on whether or not it was still drinkable. Having most assuredly passed  its prime drinking window, tonight was as good a time as any to open this bottle.

Having low expectations, we weren't disappointed since it was drinakable despite lacking any redeeming characteristics. Brownish garnet in color, medium bodied, remnants of berry and black cherry fruit flavors hid beneath the layer of smoky creosote, tar, wet wood and leather with moderate lingering tannins. It was a tasting adventure in perserverance on the agabilty of Bordeaux wines suitable for a tasting experience but not as an accompaniment to food or standalone as a drink. It wasn't flawed, rather passed its suitable drinking window. Surprisingly, it was still approachable.


RM 81 points. 



Linden Vineyards Vidal Late Harvest 2005

For a period of several years, I was commuting to and working in Washington DC. During this time Linda and I toured the Virginia wine country and discovered Linden Vineyards. At a visit to the vineyards and winery, we discovered impressive well crafted wines including this late harvest Vidal dessert wine which we tasted in the winery cellar with owner/winemaker Jim Law.

Light butter colored, full bodied thick tongue coating almost syrupy, sweet - subtle aromas of dried apricot, lychee, and hint of mango - flavors of tangy persimmon, lychee, hint of apricot.

RM 91 points.

http://cellartracker.com/w?567768

 

Ryan's scallops in a beet and parsnip purée with crispy bacon